By Brianna Theophile , @itsbriannat

WNBA player Brittney Griner cheekily sports the uniform of the Phoenix Mercury in a social media post after resigning from the team nearly a week ago, following her long-awaited return from a 10-month-long detainment in Russia last year.

Griner was detained in February of last year at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on drug possession charges when authorities found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. The 32-year-old was brought back home on December 10th, ten months later, after months of negotiations in a high-profile prisoner swap between her and Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

Now back home, she will be playing with the Phoenix Mercury once again after about a year, as the last time she played for them was in 2021. The WNBA star resigned on a one-year deal worth $165,100.

She was initially drafted by the Mercury in 2013, with the No. 1 overall pick out of Baylor, and continues her nine-year career with them this upcoming season.

“We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” says Mercury GM Jim Pitman on her return.

“We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”

On Friday, the Mercury posted a behind the scenes look into her photoshoot back in uniform, where she’s seen smiling and sporting a new short hair cut in between dribbles and passes. Her first game back will be on May 19th in Los Angeles against the Sparks.